Morocco deploys new Saab underwater robotic vehicle

RABAT, June 17, 2017

Saab Seaeye, one of the world’s leading underwater e-robotics companies based in Sweden, said it has delivered its Falcon underwater robotic vehicle to The Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie for dealing with emergencies.

The Falcon is a small, yet powerful resource for rapid deployment from a small boat or rigid-inflatable boat (RIB) and can accommodate an array of search and recovery systems, said the company in a statement.

The equipment provided for the Falcon was arranged by Saab Seaeye’s Spanish distributor, Casco Antiguo, and includes: high definition video camera, scanning sonar, MicronNav system for tracking in very shallow water, a sample scoop, five-function manipulator and rope cutter, it stated.

It will be deployed along Morocco’s 2000-km-long coastline and in the country’s many inland lakes, said The Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie, which comes under the authority of the Ministry of Defence.

Its proven virtues have appealed to other emergency and law enforcement services around the world, including operating reliably in some of the most demanding environments on the planet, from extreme heat to under ice, and from deep tunnel investigations to overcoming strong currents and tides, it stated.

The best part is that in strong currents the Falcon can manoeuver with precision and remain steady on task, whilst also fitted with a variety of tooling, cameras and sonar equipment. It can also work in confined spaces, in darkness and tirelessly for hours at a time, said the statement from the The Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie.

This capability comes from having five powerful thrusters and an intelligent distributed control system that helps maintain stability in turbulent waters, it added.

According to Saab Seaeye, the Falcon can go places too hazardous for diving operations and where the depth of water and strength of current are too dangerous for divers to operate.

But when divers are necessary, hazardous searches can be avoided and dive time reduced by first sending down the Falcon with its camera and high intensity lights to pinpoint what the diver cannot see and direct them to the location of interest, it stated.

Once the diver is at work, the Falcon can keep a watchful eye over them for added safety, along with saving dive time by transporting tools back and forth, it added.-TradeArabia News Service